PROVIDENCE – The Providence Preservation Society will move beyond downtown and into the city’s neighborhoods for its 2015 Providence Symposium, which will include speakers who address community-based economic development.
The symposium, Beyond Buildings: Preserving the Livable Neighborhood, will address issues including how architectural preservation can play a role in economic revitalization for low-income neighborhoods, and how preservation can help to rehabilitate vacant structures.
The purpose is to begin discussions about how preservation can help neighborhoods throughout Providence, and not just downtown, become more economically healthy.
“Both the downtown and the neighborhoods have to be viable for the city to be viable,” said Lisa Carnevale, a spokeswoman for the nonprofit Preservation Society.
Said Catherine Taylor, co-chair of the symposium’s committee: “We hope to spur creative dialogue about how seemingly unrelated events or competing priorities might be aligned to lift our neighborhoods up and contribute to the greatness of our city.”
The keynote speaker is Donovan Rypkema, a preservationist and economist who works in historic communities. He will focus on the evolution of city neighborhoods, and how cities that were developed in previous centuries can be “rightsized” to meet current needs. He will speak at 6 p.m. Thursday, at King’s Cathedral, in the Olneyville neighborhood. The event is free.
Majora Carter, an urban revitalization strategy consultant, and real estate developer, will be a special guest speaker. Carter is a board member of the U.S. Green Building Council, and was the recipient of a MacArthur “genius” Fellowship. She will speak at 9 a.m. Friday at King’s Cathedral. A ticket is required for this event.
Ned Kaufman, a historic preservationist and author of “Place, Race and Story: Essays on the Past and Future of Historic Preservation,” will discuss Providence in relation to issues of global warming, economic inequality and demographic change. His talk will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, at King’s Cathedral. This event is free.
